LeAnn Rimes

Biography

Mississippi Baby

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Margaret LeAnn Rimes is the only child of Wilbur and Belinda. After little LeAnn demonstrates the ability to sing in perfect pitch at just 18 months, her parents sign her up for vocal and dance class. By age 5, she is determined to be a performer. "I told my mom and dad, 'This is what I want to do,' and I went for it," Rimes tells Interview in 1998. At 6, she wins her first talent contest when she performs "Getting to Know You."

early 1990s

Star-Spangled Girl

At 8, Rimes becomes a finalist on StarSearch, and becomes a popular act, performing more than 100 stage dates a year. She adds to her local fan base when she sings the national anthem at Dallas Cowboys football games, where Texas deejay Bill Mack hears her. Mack, who wrote a song titled "Blue" for Patsy Cline, taps Rimes (pictured with her parents) to record the ballad.

1996

July 09

Breakthrough Blues

Just two years after telling the DallasMorningNews, "I'm going to be a huge star," Rimes makes the big time with her breakthrough single and album, Blue. Asked to explain the meaning of "Blue," Rimes giggles: "Something about a man and a girl falling in love or something, I don't know." The 13-year-old's album goes on to sell more than 8 million copies.

Million Dollar Baby

Rimes picks up five Billboard Music Awards and two Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, making her the first country artist to win the prestigious award. The Academy of Country Music also names "Blue" Song of the Year, while the Country Music Association hands Rimes the Horizon Award. "It probably wasn't until 'Blue' came out that it hit me that I have this talent that's kind of rare," Rimes tells Interview.

1997

February

How Do I Live

Rimes has two albums in both the country and pop Top 10, with the release of her follow-up album, UnchainedMelody:TheEarlyYears. Rimes' hit machine continues with the song "How Do I Live," which spends a record 69 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. In September, Curb releases YouLightUpMy Life: InspirationalSongs, helping Rimes become the biggest-selling recording artist in the U.S. for 1997. But at home, the Rimes family is falling apart, with Belinda and Wilbur separating. "It was hell on me," LeAnn tells EW.

1998

Growing Pains

Rimes has her sights set on Hollywood and begins talking to producers. "One of the hardest things for me is having people look at you and say, 'Oh, she's such a cute kid,'" Rimes tells the LosAngelesTimes. "I understand why people say that. You only expect so much from someone 15, much less 13, when 'Blue' came out. But I don't call myself a teenager. I call myself a businesswoman." In March, Rimes, 15, begins dating 19-year-old actor Andrew Keegan (right), and in the fall moves to L.A. with her mother.

2000

May 02

Legal Blues

After taking some time off to relax and workout, Rimes files a lawsuit, alleging that her father, Wilbur, and her former co-manager, Lyle Walker, took more than $7 million from her. In a second lawsuit, she sues her record label and seeks to be released from her contract. "I've got many years ahead of me. All this mess will be over soon," she tells TexasMonthly. In brighter news, she appears in CoyoteUgly (left), and wins a Billboard Award for her work on the soundtrack. In December 2001, Curb Records agrees to restructure Rimes' contract, while in 2002, her dispute with her father is settled on undisclosed terms.

2001

May 09

Dean the Dream

At a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards show, Rimes, 18, is reintroduced to Dean Sheremet, a dancer she'd met several months earlier when she was dating Keegan. After one date, Rimes tells In Style that she told people, "This is the guy I want to marry." On Feb. 23, 2002, wearing a Vera Wang gown, Rimes marries Sheremet (right). "As soon as she started walking, tears filled my eyes," Sheremet says.

2005

January 25

This Woman

Rimes wisely returns to her country roots with the album This Woman, which sells more than 100,000 units in its first week and debuts at No. 3 on Billboard's pop album chart. The single "Nothin' But Love Makes Sense" becomes Rimes' first top 10 country hit in more than four years. "I'm definitely confident and comfortable," Rimes, 22, tells the ChicagoSun-Times. "I have 10 years of experience, so it's tough to get anything past me in this business. I've become a very strong woman because of all I've gone through, good and bad."

2007

October 09

Family

After taking a two-year breather, Rimes releases Family, a fusion of rock, pop, and country tracks, including a duet with Bon Jovi that lands Rimes a nomination from the Academy of Country Music for top female vocalist. "It's taken a long time for people to let go of that little girl that sang 'Blue,'" Rimes tells The State. "I tried to push out of it. I'm changing. I'm a married woman, and I'm 25."